In many parts of the world, June marks the beginning of a month-long celebration honoring the LGBTQIA+ community. Affectionately called Pride Month, June is the perfect time to attend unique events, parades, demonstrations, fundraisers, and other celebrations to honor LGBTQIA+ individuals and foster safe, inclusive, and loving communities.
Pride Month has its roots dating all the way back to 1924 when Henry Gerber founded The Society for Human Rights (SHR). The SHR published the country’s first gay-interest newsletter “Friendship and Freedom.” These brave pioneers faced difficulty at every turn while momentum for the movement slowly grew.
The LGBTQIA+ movement saw increased visibility in the wake of the Stonewall riots of 1969. In response to a police raid on the popular Stonewall Inn in lower Manhattan in New York City, protesters took to the streets to protest the treatment they had received at the hands of local law enforcement. The protests grew in size in the coming days and weeks with activists demanding that laws and policing procedures be changed.
A year later, the first gay pride marches took place in major cities across the US. A civil rights movement that had started 50 years earlier had finally achieved national attention. Pride Month reminds us of the efforts of the early civil rights crusaders, celebrates how far we’ve come, and emphasizes how far we still need to go.
At Vendavo, we recognize that the world is a beautiful kaleidoscope of race, gender, nationality, ethnicity, and orientation. We know that our company creates better products, makes better decisions, and better serves the diverse world we inhabit when diversity, equity and inclusion permeate our thinking.
As an organization, Vendavo is publicly proclaiming that we stand as an ally with the LGBTQIA+ community. We affirm the right of our employees and customers to live and work as their authentic self and will strive to foster as safe and welcoming environment for all people. In particular, in the United States, our health and welfare plans cover same sex partners in the same manner we would cover opposite sex domestic partners. Additionally, we have recently implemented Caregiver Leave in the US which provides paid leave to care givers, regardless of gender identification. We strongly believe that one’s gender identification should never be a determining factor in their ability to provide care for a child upon birth, placement for adoption, or foster-care.
“I am deeply committed to ensuring Vendavo offers an environment where our different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds create a vibrant and dynamic community.” – Bruno Slosse, Vendavo CEO
Happy Pride Month from everyone at Vendavo! Get out and celebrate alongside the entire LGBTQIA+ community.
PS…if you’re interested in more information about the history of Pride Month, check out this article.